Mixing | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia (2024)

How does it work?

Mixing in the baking industry serves many purposes, such as:1,2

  1. Blend and disperse liquid and dry ingredients to form a hom*ogeneous mass with a continuous phase (protein in dough and foams, and water in batters) and a discontinuous phase (fat).
  2. Hydrate flour (starch, gluten-forming proteins and arabinoxylans) and other dry ingredients.
  3. Incorporate and entrap air in the form of discontinuous gas bubbles within the dough or batter to provide gas nuclei for the carbon dioxide generated from yeast fermentation or chemical leavening. This is vital for volume expansion and texture of the finished product.
  4. In bread dough, this process helps develop gluten strands (binding gliadins and glutenins) by kneading for optimum dough cohesiveness and handling properties.
  5. Redistribution, subdivision and size reduction of air cells within the dough or batter.

Application

It is important to note that this serves the same purpose no matter the bakery product to be produced. What changes the mixing conditions and mode of mixing is the type of product being processed. A bread dough cannot be mixed exactly the same way as a cake batter or a pie dough.

The following table summarizes key consideration according to the type of product being processed:1,2

Lean dough (yeast-leavened)CrackersRich dough, PastryChemically-leavened Pastry
Products
  • White pan bread
  • Variety bread
  • Buns (relatively lean)
  • Rolls
  • Artisan
  • Sourdough
  • Soda crackers or saltine-type
  • Water biscuits
  • Cream crackers
  • Snack crackers
  • Croissant
  • Puff pastry
  • Danish pastry
  • Brioche
  • Sweet dough
  • Yeast doughnut
  • Pie dough
  • Batter cake
  • Foam cake
  • Chiffon cake
  • Cookies
ObjectiveFull gluten development for target dough handling propertiesPartial hydration and gluten developmentFull gluten development (except in laminated pastry and pie crust)

Mild blending for pie crust

Aeration of batter (cakes)

Incorporation and hydration of dry ingredients (cookies)

Consistency of mixed productVisco-elastic doughVisco-elastic dough (stiffer than lean doughs given low hydration)Visco-elastic dough (except pie dough)Oil/Water fluid aerated emulsion (batter cakes)

Viscous mixture (cookies)

Mixing time9–15 min5–10 minLonger than 12 min (non-laminated)

Less than 7 min (laminated)

4–20 min (depending on the cake mixing method)
Mechanical energy required to achieve goalHighestMediumLow (laminated)

High (non-laminated)

Lowest
High-speed mixing equipmentContinuous

Horizontal

Tweedy

Continuous

Horizontal

Continuous

Horizontal

Continuous (batter cakes)

Vertical (batter cakes and cookies)

Final dough/batter temperature76–82°F (25–28°C)76–82°F (25–28°C)Laminated pastry:

60–65°F (15–18°C)

Non-laminated:

76–85º F (24–29ºC)

Batter and chiffon cakes:

65–72°F (18–22°C)

Cookies:

68–75º F (20–24ºC)

End pointGluten film testTearing testWindow testSpecific gravity (cakes)

Factors that affect mixing time

  • Mixer speed: the higher the speed, the more blending and work is applied to the system, and the shorter the mix time needed to obtain the desired result.
  • Mixer design: different arms or attachments provide different mixing patterns that can provide more or less work, shear, strain and stress forces to the mass.
  • Dough size / batter volume in relation to mixer capacity: mixers are designed to operate below 100% of their capacity but above a certain minimum limit; this is to optimize processing performance.
  • Dough / batter temperature: mixing implies dissipation or production of heat from the friction between product and mixer wall (especially true with dough processing). The higher the product temperature, the shorter the mixing time should be.
  • Quality of flour: the stronger the gluten-forming proteins and the greater the protein content, the more mixing time is needed to develop gluten to make it extensible.
  • Particle size of flour: the smaller the particle size, the greater the surface area that can be wetted and become hydrated, and the shorter the mix time required for such particles to form a hom*ogeneous mixture.
  • Water absorption of the flour: excessive water extends clean-up time in dough mixing.
  • Amount and type of reducing and oxidizing agents: reducing agents decrease the mixing time required to achieve optimum handling properties of bread and bun doughs.
  • Amount of salt, sugar, milk solids, egg solids that compete for the water: the higher their concentration is, the longer the mixing time will be because there is less water available for gluten development.
  • Degree of aeration: as cake batter is mixed, more air is incorporated into the emulsified slurry, causing its specific gravity (SG) to decrease. A cake batter takes a certain time to reach a target SG value.

Types of mixing machines

There are the following common machines used in bakery industry:

  • Spiral mixer: in which a spiral-shaped mixing tool rotates on a vertical axis.
  • High speed and twin spiral mixer: where a high level of work can be inputed to the dough in a short time.
  • Horizontal mixer: where the beaters are driven horizontally within the bowl and fixed to one or two shafts.
  • Low speed: where mixing is carried out over an extended period of time and the commonly used slow mixing system includes twin reciprocating arm mixer and oblique axis fork mixer.
  • Continuous mixing: where the ingredients are incorporated at one end of the extruder, and the dough leaves the mixer at the other end in a continuous flow.

References

  1. Haegens, N. “Mixing, Dough Making, and Dough Make-up.” Bakery Products Science and Technology, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2014, pp. 309–320.
  2. Sumnu, S.G., Sahin, S. Food Engineering Aspects of Baking Sweet Goods, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, 2008, pp. 81–172.
Mixing | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia (2024)

FAQs

Why is mixing process important? ›

Mixing processes are general operations in industrial process engineering. The main goal of these processes is to make a heterogeneous physical system hom*ogeneous by using manipulating operations. Generally, efficient mixing can be challenging to achieve, especially on an industrial scale.

How many types of mixing process are there? ›

Every application is different, and often a combination of processes will be needed to ensure the final product passes quality control. These processes can include shear mixing, suspension mixing, blending, dispersion, agitation and more.

What is the main goal of mixing? ›

Goals of mixing

Adjusting the volume levels of each instrument and vocal is a fundamental step in mixing. This process ensures that all elements complement each other, creating a harmonious and balanced mix.

What is mixing and why is it important? ›

Audio mixing is the process of blending and combining audio tracks so that each element has a pleasing sound and distinct space in a finished stereo recording. The goal of mixing is to bring out the best in your multi-track recording by adjusting levels, panning, and audio effects for each individual track.

Why is mixing important in cooking? ›

Mixing in the baking industry serves many purposes, such as: Blend and disperse liquid and dry ingredients to form a hom*ogeneous mass with a continuous phase (protein in dough and foams, and water in batters) and a discontinuous phase (fat).

Why is it important to mix dough? ›

Purposes Of Mixing Dough Are:

To distribute the yeast cell throughout the dough. Distribute food for the yeast which will further lead to the fermentation process. To form and develop Gluten. Hydrate the flour and other dry ingredients.

Why is it important to ensure the mixing speed of the mixer is correct? ›

Knowing the potential effects associated with rotation speed can help choose the right parameter for your application. It is important to understand the optimum blend time of your individual recipes as over or under mixing will result in poor product quality.

What is the purpose of mixing? ›

Mixing is performed to allow heat and/or mass transfer to occur between one or more streams, components or phases. Modern industrial processing almost always involves some form of mixing. Some classes of chemical reactors are also mixers.

What is the simplest method of mixing? ›

Stirring. This is one of the simplest and most basic mixing methods. Use a whisk, spoon, or rubber spatula to mix your ingredients by hand.

What is the theory of mixing process? ›

Mixing is defined as a process that tends to result in a randomization of dissimilar particles within a system. The term MIX means to put together in one mass. The term BLENDING means to mix smoothly and inseparably together during which a minimum energy is imparted to the bed.

What is the easiest mixing method of batter and dough? ›

The creaming method is the most common for mixing cake batter. It incorporates plenty of air into the dough and helps it rise, creating a stable, yet tender, finished product. All ingredients should be at room temperature for best results. Start by beating the butter and sugar together, then add eggs one at a time.

What are the three main purposes of mixing? ›

Mixing has three main purposes: To combine ingredients into a uniform, smooth dough. To distribute the yeast evenly throughout the dough. To develop the gluten.

Why is it important to know the mixing techniques? ›

Mixing is one of the most critical and important operations in a bakery. The mixing stage allows “inert” dry and liquid ingredients to create a very reactive and dynamic system that can be then processed and transformed into value-added products.

Why is mixing a solution important? ›

The aim of every mixing process is to achieve the hom*ogeneity required for the process in the entire contained volume. When hom*ogenizing, it is important to reduce the differences in concentration and temperature that arise e.g. by product additions, mass transfers, chemical reactions or heat transfer.

What is the importance of mixing in food processing? ›

Mixing is fundamental to food processing operations, such as in the preparation of ingredients, the addition of solids to liquids and the development of structure and incorporation of air in the dough mixing process. Chapters 2 and 5 have described the basics of fluid mechanics and of food rheology.

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